Ernst Week in Review
Banning “Bogus Bonuses” for Federal Contractors
Senator Joni Ernst, a tireless advocate for cutting wasteful government spending, is continuing her efforts to make Washington squeal, this time introducing legislation to ban excessive bonuses to contractors of federal projects that do not meet outcome standards.
This week, Senator Ernst introduced her Bogus Bonus Ban Act, which would prohibit bonuses to government contractors for unsatisfactory performances and outcomes, including projects that are over budget or behind schedule, and would require public disclosure of bonuses that are awarded.
Click here or the photo above to watch Senator Ernst’s latest episode of Squeal TV.
Currently, countless government contractors are receiving bonuses for failing to do their job. From the Department of Defense to NASA, and almost every government agency in between, we see government contractors who have underperformed, or simply not performed at all, getting bonuses totaling billions of dollars of Iowa’s taxpayers’ hard-earned money. For these reasons, Senator Ernst awarded her July Squeal Award to the federal contractors that are promising the moon, but are really just giving us a “moondoggle.”
Improving Veterans’ Health Care
Senator Ernst, a combat veteran, continues her work for veterans in Iowa and across the country. This week her bipartisan bill to help streamline data sharing between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Energy (DOE) and improve health outcomes for veterans advanced out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources by a voice vote, moving it one step closer to becoming law.
The Department of Energy Veterans’ Health Initiative Act will build on current interagency collaborative efforts—like the Million Veterans Program Computational Health Analytics of Medical Precision to Improve Outcomes Now (CHAMPION) initiative—by authorizing a program within the DOE to develop technologies to help solve complex data challenges.
Highlighting the Economic Benefits of USMCA
Senator Ernst, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Energy and Rural Development, joined her fellow lawmakers on the Senate floor this week to outline the importance of passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Senator Ernst highlighted the tremendous economic benefits the trade agreement will have on her home state of Iowa, where one in five jobs is tied directly to trade.
Click here or the image above to watch Senator Ernst’s speech.
Last year alone, Iowa exported 6.6 billion dollars worth of products to Canada and Mexico. Finalizing the USMCA will create new export opportunities for Iowa’s dairy industry, greater access for its egg producers, and reduce non-tariff trade barriers that previously hampered exporting abilities.
Communicating Priorities
###
